Investing in rental property is about more than collecting monthly rent checks. In Detroit’s rental market, competition is strong, and tenants have high expectations. The upgrades you choose can make the difference between long vacancies and reliable cash flow, between mediocre returns and strong rental ROI.

But here’s the challenge: not every upgrade adds real value. Some improvements might look nice but fail to attract higher-paying tenants or justify increased rent. Others may drain your maintenance budget without providing a measurable return. To help you make informed decisions, let’s break down the upgrades that actually boost rental value, reduce turnover, and keep your Detroit property competitive.

When you're dealing with investment property, adding value
can be a balancing act. One that
requires a lot of fine tuning, especially because you have overhead and
expenses to consider such as property taxes, hiring a Michigan property
manager, landscaping, maintenance and updates, marketing and more.